Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to protection devices for integrated circuits (ICs), and in particular to electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection devices for integrated circuits (ICs).
Description of the Related Art
The semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) industry has experienced rapid growth. Technological advances in IC materials and design have produced generations of ICs where each generation has smaller and more complex circuits than the previous generation. These circuits may be sensitive to electrostatic discharge (ESD) currents. Thus, ESD protection devices are utilized to prevent and reduce damage to an IC caused by ESD currents. Traditionally, some ESD protection devices have parasitic capacitance that is large enough to noticeably degrade Radio Frequency (RF) performance in the circuit being protected.
Therefore, while existing ESD protection devices have been generally adequate for their intended purposes, they have not been entirely satisfactory in every aspect.